


and this, the most unkindest cut of all

by rhettblue



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:12:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhettblue/pseuds/rhettblue
Summary: Kara loves Lena, Lena loves Kara.  The problem?  Lena doesn’t love Supergirl.Post 3x18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely hate trying to write an identity reveal for this because there is no reason that genius Lena Luthor should not recognize Kara as Supergirl. However, as much as I want to believe she knows, I also don’t think that she would fuck with Kara’s head like that in the elevator if she was aware of her dual identity. So here’s my attempt at balancing Lena’s intelligence with her obliviousness about Kara.

“She crossed a line. I’ll never trust her again.”

The words were on a loop in Kara’s head as she mindlessly ate her ice cream with Ruby, Alex, and Lena.

“Supergirl went behind my back, and used my personal relationships against me.”

What did that mean Kara was doing right now? She had a personal relationship with Lena. Every time she talked to her as Kara, every time they went to lunch, every time they stopped by at work; was Kara taking advantage of that personal relationship?

“It’s like something my mother would do.”

Kara had physically felt that one like a blow to the stomach from a fist made of kryptonite. Not that she could let it show too much; Lena was still in the elevator and clueless as to who she really was, but her face gave her away to anyone that was looking closely enough. Thankfully, Lena was so focused on her anger with Supergirl that she didn’t notice Kara’s conflict.

Alex, on the other hand, picked up on Kara’s distress the second she walked in the room, trailing Lena by a couple paces. The older Danver sister shot her a look, trying to gauge her feelings, but Kara just shrugged and did her best to smile and act like nothing was wrong when she felt like her whole world just shattered. And she knew what that felt like already; she didn’t want to experience it again.

She participated in the conversation when necessary and did her best to comfort Ruby, but she ultimately said her goodbyes early, citing an ongoing headache. Lena hugged her as she got up to leave, and Kara’s guilt ate her alive, but she managed to keep her face cheery.

When Alex embraced her, the redhead said she would talk to her later. Kara didn’t need to ask what about. Kara entered the same elevator that broke her spirit earlier that night and descended to the ground floor. Immediately, she found an alley and Supergirl flew out not a few seconds later. She didn’t know where she was flying; just that she needed to clear her head.

——

Kara Danvers was definitely avoiding Lena Luthor—not that she was keen to admit it. It had been easy, at first. Kara _did_ have a lot of work to do, and Lena had the whole Reign situation to deal with. Anytime Lena would try to make plans, Kara would suddenly have an important deadline, or already have plans with Alex, or have a trip scheduled to the doctor’s office (that one made Kara laugh just a little; she hadn’t been to a regular doctor in her life). 

That’s not to say that Supergirl didn’t see Lena often. There was little time for rest when working towards a cure for Sam (this made Kara feel even more guilty; what little free time Lena had, she tried to spend with Kara, but Kara was seemingly unavailable every time). 

Eventually, Lena’s desire to see Kara Danvers won out over her disdain for Supergirl.

“We have a mutual friend in Kara Danvers, yes?”

The question was asked as Lena was looking into her microscope and Supergirl was reading the Kryptonian symbols, with just the two of them in the lab. Supergirl looked up, surprised at being spoken to.

“Um, yes? Yes. You are friends with her and I am definitely, uh, friends with Kara. Why?”

Lena glanced over at Supergirl, her gaze hardening as if to remind her that _they_ still weren’t friends. As if Kara could ever forget.

“She just hasn’t been acting herself lately. I think she’s been avoiding me. Any guesses as to why?”

Supergirl swallowed, trying to formulate a response. 

“Uh, none that I could think of? Snapper might be pushing her a little harder than usual and she came down with the flu that was going around...”

Kara trailed off, unable to give any other reasons. It’s hard to come up with excuses for yourself.

“So, you wouldn’t have anything to do with her ignoring me?” Lena inquired, finally turning her body completely to face Supergirl. A challenge, Kara recognized, realizing that Lena thought Supergirl was influencing Kara’s opinions of her.

Her eyes widened and she coughed, trying to cover her unease. “No, of course not Lena! She’s just been, really busy? You know? She’s not the CEO of a company or anything but I think she’s got a lot to deal with right now.” That was the understatement of the century.

Lena’s eyes narrowed a bit, still suspicious, but she finally relented in her questioning and went back to her work. Kara sighed quietly in relief and excused herself, mumbling something about patrolling. It was almost time to leave anyway, and she needed a drink after that conversation.

——

“Another one.”

Maybe Kara already had enough to drink. Maybe three glasses of the drink that gets her drunk in one is too much. Maybe Aldebaran rum wasn’t the solution to her identity crisis with Lena.

“Are you sure?” Clearly, the bartender was on the same page as Kara’s subconscious, but the functioning part of Kara’s brain was in pain, and the only way she knew to numb it was like this.

“Hit me.”

Maybe having her phone still with her after four glasses wasn’t the best idea. Maybe calling Lena for the first time in months while wasted was not her brightest moment. Maybe not immediately hanging up when Lena answered was the worst decision yet.

“Kara?”

“Heyyy, Lena,” Kara giggled, slurring her words a bit. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Kara- I- I’ve been trying to see you for months now. Are you drunk?” Lena sounded pissed, but also concerned with Kara’s current state of mind. 

“You know, I think we could’ve had something,” Kara said wistfully, ignoring Lena’s question. The drinks seemed promote more of Kara’s rambling, if possible. “I mean I was kind of with Mon-El when we first met, and then you had that thing with James but those are both over and I thought that finally something would happen but then...” She couldn’t finish the thought. It hurt too much to think about, partly because of the loss of trust and partly because the rum made it difficult to think in general.

There was a stunned silence over the phone, and Kara pulled it back away from her face to check that it hadn’t disconnected, frowning slightly. 

After a few more moments, Lena spoke again. “Kara, where are you? I’m coming to get you. We need to get you sobered up and then we need to talk.”

Kara laughed, and it sounded strained. “But don’t you see? I can’t. We can’t. I gotta protect you. And the whole thing with Supergirl is just...” She waved a hand, gesturing vaguely, forgetting that Lena can’t see her through the phone.

Immediately, Lena bristled. “So Supergirl is forcing you to choose sides?” She willed herself to calm down a bit, knowing that accusations weren’t what Kara needed right now. “Kara, darling, I don’t care about any of that right now. We need to get you home and we can get this sorted out in the morning, okay?”

Kara pinched the bridge of her nose, realizing that Lena wasn’t getting what she was saying. “Nope that can’t happen Lena. Ever. I have to stay away. Okay? So stop calling, please. You don’t want to talk to me anyway.”

“Kar-“ But Kara had just spotted her sister walking into the bar and panicked.

“Fuck I have to go. You can’t call me back Lee. I love you.” The phone clicked off. 

——

Lena called back right away, ignoring Kara’s warning, but it went straight to voicemail. She glared at the phone in her hand, fighting the urge to fling it across the room in frustration. It was one thing for Supergirl to use James to spy on her, but to completely cut her off from Kara? It was cruel. 

God, and she didn’t even know how to process the profession of love right now. Surely Kara meant it because they were best friends, but “we could’ve had something”? There was no platonic way to take that, and Lena couldn’t deal with it. Her feelings for Kara were overwhelming at times, but she had accepted that Kara would never feel the same. The possibility of this being a drunken mistake on Kara’s part was too great for Lena to dwell on it long.

The only thing she could decide on was that Supergirl was to blame for this. She had taken the kryptonite incident personally and told Kara to stay away from Lena. Pain lanced through her heart at the thought that maybe Supergirl did it to protect Kara; there wasn’t a lot of trust there anymore, and perhaps Supergirl thought Lena would use Kara against her?

But she shook those ideas away. No. Supergirl had seen the good that Lena had done. She transformed L-Corp into something to be porud of, she had helped to stop Cadmus (her own _mother_ ) multiple times, and she was there when they needed her to help stop the Daxamite invasion. She wasn’t her brother, and Supergirl knew that. This was about choosing sides, Super versus Luthor, pitting their mutual friends against the other. 

Lena had no desire to let that happen without a fight.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara didn’t like to make a habit of going to the DEO hungover. It didn’t really look professional, and even the idea of a drunk Super was enough to make a lot of people uncomfortable. However, at times, it just couldn’t be avoided.

Alex grabbed her as soon as she walked in and pulled her away from the rest of the agents.

“Do you remember what I told you last night, at the bar?”

Kara winced and motioned with her hands for Alex to lower her voice a bit. She wasn’t used to headaches and Alex’s reprimanding was not helping.

“No, but, if I had to guess, it was something like, ‘Kara, you’re my favorite sister even when you make terrible decisions because you’re sad and depressed?’” Kara thought it was reasonable.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Wrong. I told you not to come into work if you were going to be hungover.”

“Huh. You really should’ve been more clear about that.”

Alex groaned and had to fight the urge to slap her sister, knowing it would just leave her with a broken hand.

“Look, I understand that you’re frustrated because Lena’s furious with Supergirl. I get it. But you avoiding her as Kara? It isn’t healthy for either of you.”

“But how am I supposed to talk to her as Kara without looking like I’m taking sides? ‘Lena, Supergirl’s really, really, really sorry. I hope you can forgive her because otherwise we can’t be friends. Sorry!’”

“Lose the sarcasm. I’m trying to help. And maybe telling Lena wouldn’t be the worst thing you could do.”

“But Mon-El said-“

“Mon-El isn’t exactly the best person to go to about maintaining a healthy relationship,” Alex scoffed.

Kara paused, considering that perhaps Alex was right.

“She’ll still hate me. Both of me. Actually, she’ll hate me more, because on top of sending James, I’ve also been lying to her for two years. I don’t think I can handle that, Alex.”

Alex’s hard gaze softened, and she pulled Kara in for a hug. “Maybe she will. But won’t that be better than carrying around the guilt? Just, focus on going to L-Corp and figuring out what we need to separate Sam from Reign. You’ll know what to tell Lena when the time’s right.”

—-

Supergirl flew over to L-Corp, checking in with security before making her way to where Reign was located. As she walked in, Lena turned and regarded her with a cold glare. Kara swallowed and looked away under the weight of the stare.

“So, I had a conversation with Kara Danvers last night.” Kara remembers none of it.

“Oh?” Play it cool.

“She said some pretty interesting things,” Lena continued, slowly making her way over to where the caped hero was standing.

Interesting things? Like, identity revealing things? There were huge gaps in her memory, and a phone call to the CEO wasn’t one that she retained.

“Well, that’s good. You said she was acting weird-“

“I know you’re making her choose sides. And I don’t really appreciate you telling Kara that she can’t talk to me, like I’m some sort of threat when _you’re_ the one who betrayed _my_ trust, in case you had forgotten,” Lena cut her off and advanced close enough that they were face to face, Lena an inch or so taller only because of her heels. Kara wondered briefly if she had done that on purpose, as some sort of intimidation tactic against Supergirl. If so, it was kind of working.

“What? No, Lena, I would never make anyone choose sides. This isn’t about sides. It’s about finding a cure for Sam, and I’m not going to jeopardize this mission. I just hope that when this is all over, you and I can work on rebuilding our trust and friendship.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed, regarding Supergirl carefully. “Why is it so important to you that we’re friends? So you can keep an eye on me? Make sure I don’t turn into my brother — or my mother? Because I have friends, Supergirl. Ones that don’t scheme behind my back and _lie_.”

Kara’s suppressed anger and frustration with Lena had finally hit the surface because yes, Supergirl had made the wrong decision and Lena was rightfully angry, but she was doing everything in her power to correct her mistake, just to have Lena to throw it all back in her face.

“Oh, you must be talking about Sam, who’s currently being controlled by a Worldkiller from my dead planet? Or maybe Kara, who’s been avoiding you for weeks? Yeah, it sure looks like you have plenty of friends.” Kara was just throwing words at Lena that she knew would hurt her, and she could see that it was working. In her gut, she knew that she would regret it, but she couldn’t stop the outburst.

Lena’s glare faltered and she stepped back, as if physically wounded by Supergirl’s words. Kara’s anger fizzled and she widened her eyes, realizing what she had said. She took a step towards Lena, her face apologetic, but Lena held a hand up as the other wiped her eyes.

“Lena, I didn’t mean...”

“No, you meant exactly what you said. Every word of it. You were trying to hurt me. That’s been accomplished. Now please, just read the damn book and find what we need to reverse it. After that, we never have to work with each other again, okay?”

Kara opened her mouth to protest, but Lena was brushing past her and out of the lab. She looked up at the containment unit to see that Reign had been watching with interest as the whole scene played out. Kara ignored her and buried her face in her hands, wondering how she could have fucked it up worse in the space of about five minutes.

—-

After sending Winn the material that he should be scanning for, Kara left L-Corp and flew to CatCo (she had to show up for her actual job at some point). She usually left some work clothes there so she could change quickly if she was called away as Supergirl. She landed on the balcony and walked into James’ office, not expecting to find a red-eyed Lena Luthor sitting in the desk chair. Kara tried to discreetly back out of the office, but Lena had already noticed her.

“What? Are you here to send James after me again? Worried I might be making more kryptonite? Can’t let me go anywhere without checking in?”

It was then that Kara noticed the bottle of mostly empty alcohol on the desk and realized that Lena was drunk. She sighed and took the bottle and the glass away from a pouting Lena.

“And you can just take anything away from me? That’s how it works, right? Take Kara, take my whiskey...” Lena murmured softly, a stark contrast with her earlier anger.

“Y’know, last night, when Kara called me, she said we could’ve have something. Her and I. But that now it couldn’t happen. And I don’t know why. But I love her. So much. And I don’t know why she’s not talking to me. Or why she’s not at work. But you do. And you won’t tell me. That’s another reason I hate you.”

Lena’s eyebrows raised and she gasped, staring accusingly at Supergirl. “Maybe you’re sleeping with Kara and that’s why she won’t answer my calls.”

Kara almost laughed. Almost. But seeing Lena in this state because of her? Because of something she did? It broke her heart and she felt like crying. There was nothing she wouldn’t give to tell Lena right now how much she loved her, and that she wished she had been sober during that phone conversation, and that she was Supergirl.

But life didn’t work like that. This time, Mon-El was right. Telling Lena her identity wouldn’t help her; it would wreck her. Especially after Kara lashed out at her at L-Corp earlier. It was better if Lena believed that Kara would never say any of that to her. 

Kara sighed, her mind made up, and when she glanced back at Lena, the brunette was still regarding the hero with caution, like a frightened animal. 

“Lena, let me fly you home. It’s late, and you need to be ready to help Sam tomorrow, okay?”

Lena laughed. “Why would I ever agree to that? Did you listen to the part where I said I hate you?”

_Unfortunately, yes._

Kara decided to appeal to the side of Lena that loved her employees. “Do you really want your driver to deal with you being drunk? You’re kind of mean.”

Lena closed her eyes and groaned, knowing that her driver would _not_ want to put up with her. “Fine. But you have to promise not to ‘accidentally’ drop me, no matter how much you want to.”

“I’d never do anything to hurt you, Lena.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Supergirl. Just bring me home.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i definitely rewrote this chapter way too many times

The next morning, Lena woke up in her own bed with her work clothes still on. She had a vague recollection of agreeing to let Supergirl fly her home and the Super trying to get her to into pajamas, but also remembered not so kindly telling the hero to leave before collapsing on her head and succumbing to sleep.

She had gone to CatCo the previous day in hopes of finding Kara—they really needed to talk and while Lena didn’t like ambushing Kara at work, this was getting out of hand— but had no luck in locating the reporter. That then led to her forcing James out of his office to take advantage of the amount of liquor stored there. 

Lena had long believed that her feelings for Kara were unrequited and was content (well, at least trying to be content) as her best friend. But now? When Kara’s the one who stepped up (albeit drunkenly) to tell Lena that those feelings were returned but that they couldn’t be together? Every emotion she had managed to suppress for the past two years came to the surface and Lena was struggling to sort through all of them at once.

It didn’t help that in the midst of sorting through all of this, Supergirl was acting like a pompous ass. Who could Lena vent to? Kara was avoiding her, but she was friends with Supergirl anyway.

(Lena had a flashback of accusing Supergirl of sleeping with Kara and she wanted to bury her head under the covers in embarrassment.)

And anyone else she was friends with was connected to Kara or Supergirl in one way or another. It was possible that Supergirl hadn’t been entirely wrong to call Lena out on her lack of friends; Alex was Kara’s sister, Winn was her friend, James was a former flame to both of them, and Sam was... a bit incapacitated at the moment. 

Thinking of Sam made her wince; here she was, reflecting on how terrible her social life was while Sam fighting for her life against Reign. That motivated Lena enough to finally leave the comfort of her bed and begin getting ready for another day of finding a cure for her friend.

—

Winn updated her on the situation via comms when she arrived at L-Corp; Supergirl had left Earth with Mon-El and travel to the meteoroid they had found that contained the Rock of Yuda Kal. 

But Reign was growing stronger and more resistant to the kryptonite faster than she had predicted, and Supergirl wasn’t back yet.

“You and I aren’t so different. I can see the darkness in you. Kill me now, if you want to. Prove to Supergirl that she was right to distrust you.”

Lena wants to throw the tablet at her.

(“I don’t know what the right choice is here, James. I can end this now; it still affects her enough that it will kill her, but-“

“Killing her will also kill Sam.”

“Yes.”

“What would Sam want you to do?”

“Sam wanted me to cure her.”

“What would she want you to do now.”

“Anything I can to save Ruby.”)

Lena waits as long as she’s willing to risk. But Winn hasn’t had any contact with Supergirl, and time’s running out. 

(“Scared, Luthor?”

“Yes.”)

Eventually, when she finally decides that she can’t put it off any longer, she raises the kryptonite level until Reign should be dead. But she’s not. And the look she’s giving Lena indicates that Reign knows that it’s not working, and Lena prays to a deity that she doesn’t believe in that Reign won’t make good on her promise to rip her spine out.

But Supergirl and Mon-El crash in just as Reign advances, and Supergirl slides the rock across the floor to Lena and yelled, “Hurry!” while her and Mon-El kept Reign busy.

They inject her with the cure after it’s completed and watch as Sam and Reign were finally separated. It ended with Supergirl covering Sam’s body with her cape and smiling in relief at Lena, who, despite herself, couldn’t help but smile back.

—

It took a couple weeks for things to return to normal. Sam was weak, but getting stronger. Alex, Kara, and Lena were all helping her and Ruby get readjusted to a regular routine—one that didn’t include Sam being taken over by a Kryptonian Worldkiller and trying to destroy the Earth.

It was going to take some time, but they were managing.

Two things that didn’t change were Lena’s insistence on keeping her distance from Supergirl and Kara’s insistence on keeping her distance from Lena. 

(It would’ve been a great system, if only Lena knew Kara was Supergirl.)

Alex was still pushing for Kara to tell Lena.

“Even I can admit that she’s proven herself trustworthy. You don’t deserve to have this secret weighing you down anymore.” It was sister night, and Alex was clearly trying to make it some sort of counseling session. “You’re just hurting yourself—and her—more by avoiding the problem. Maybe you should-“

“I think I’m going to leave,” Kara cut her off abruptly, avoiding Alex’s gaze. Alex snapped her jaw shut and gave her sister an incredulous look.

“Leave where? National City? You can’t just run away-“

“Leave Earth,” Kara explained, finally looking up to make eye contact. “My mom, my people, my _home_. It’s all still there. I thought it was gone, but it’s not, and I don’t think I can stay here when I could have a normal, regular life with no secrets, no drama. I could just be Kara Zor-El.” By the end, Kara voice had cracked, and she looked back down at her clasped hands, the feeling of tears pricking behind her eyes.

“Hey, hey, I’m here,” Alex soothed, wrapping an arm around Kara and pulling her close. “We both know what it’s like to lose people. And if you have a chance to go back to your mom, your family, and that’s what your heart says you should do? Then I will support you, Kara. Always.”

Kara buried her face in Alex’s neck, some quiet tears running down her cheeks. “You’re my family, too. You made Earth a home for me, and I’m going to miss you so, _so_ much. I’ll come back. I don’t know when, but I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be waiting. You’ll always have your sister to come back to.”

—

The next few days passed in a blur. There was preparation for her departure and many good-byes to be had. Winn had cried, and she promised him they’d find a way to communicate past the dome of Argo. James had pulled her in for a bear hug and told her that he was her favorite Super but to not tell Clark he said that. J’onn had wrapped her in a tight embrace, his smile sad, but he knew what it was like to lose an entire world, and he couldn’t fault Kara for wanting it back. Maggie had just punched her shoulder and said, “Kick some ass for me in space, Little Danvers.” It was supposed to be nonchalant, but Maggie’s eyes were a bit red around the rims, and Kara decided not to bring up the fact that she wouldn’t be fighting crime in space. She just smiled and told her to take good care of Alex while she was gone.

Kara couldn’t decide how to say goodbye to Sam. It’s hard to explain why you’re leaving and why you won’t be contactable without saying that you’re ditching the planet for the foreseeable future. In the end, Kara said to hell with it. Sam didn’t have a problem with Supergirl; there wasn’t any reason she shouldn’t know.

She knocked on the door to Sam’s apartment and Ruby answered the door, grinning brightly when she saw it was Kara. 

“Mom, Lena, Aunt Kara’s here!” The young girl yelled excitedly. Kara froze, realizing that she hadn’t checked beforehand to make sure no one else was here. It was too late to turn back now, as Sam appeared from the direction of the living room, smiling at the sight of her friend. 

“Kara! What a wonderful surprise. Come in; Lena, Ruby, and I were just watching some old movies, you want to join?” Sam had already grabbed Kara’s hand and dragged her into the living room. She made eye contact with Lena, wincing slightly when she saw the conflict flash over the brunette’s face before it was replaced with an easy smile.

“Yes, Kara, it feels like I haven’t seen you in ages,” Lena added, her head tilted slightly. The tone wasn’t quite accusing, but possessed just enough steel to convey that it if it was up to her, it wouldn’t have been so long. Kara felt the guilt start to settle in her stomach before she remembered why she was here.

She gave a brief wave in lieu of a response before turning back to Sam. “I actually need to talk to you. Alone. In private.” She cast a meaning glance towards Lena and Ruby. Sam gave her a quizzical look but nodded anyway, leading them out into the hall. Kara could feel Lena’s burning stare at the back of her head as she left the room, but she willed herself to ignore it.

“Is this private enough?” Sam asked, closing the apartment door behind them. Kara subtly lowered her glasses, using x-ray vision and her sense of hearing to make sure no one else was around.

“Yeah, it’s good. There’s just some things I need to tell you.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Things that you can’t tell Lena?”

Kara sighed, shaking her head. “Lena won’t want to hear them. She just doesn’t know that.”

“You should let her decide what she wants to hear, Kara. It’s the least you can do—especially after ignoring her for months with no explanation. She thinks it’s because you trust Supergirl more than her.” Sam gave her a pointed look, clearly thinking Kara could’ve handled it better.

_That makes two of us._

Kara chuckled lightly, ducking her head and scratching the back of her neck nervously. “It’s not about trust. I’m not choosing one over the other. Supergirl had a valid reason for concern, but she acted out of fear rather than trusting Lena. She knows it was a mistake, and Lena has every right to be furious.”

Sam furrowed her eyebrows, confusion etching across her features. “Then why are you avoiding her, if not because of Supergirl?”

The blonde sighed. “I never said it didn’t have something to do with Supergirl. It’s just a lot more complicated than you think.” Kara took her glasses off and pulled her hair tie out, letting her curls cascade down her shoulders. For good measure, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her family’s crest. She glanced up at Sam’s expression, giving her a grim smile. “So, um, this is me.”

The reaction was... not terrible. Sam opened her mouth, then closed it, and then opened it again, searching for words. The only thing that came out was, “Holy shit, I’m friends with Supergirl.” Kara quickly stepped forward and grabbed Sam’s hands, making sure she had her full attention.

“Look, Sam, you can’t tell anyone, okay? Especially Lena. I know she’s pissed at me; I can handle that as long as she doesn’t figure this out. It would kill her to know I’ve been lying to her the whole time. Please, promise me.” Kara’s eyes were pleading.

“I- Yeah- Of course. But, why are you telling me now? Not that I’m ungrateful or anything.”

“Okay, well, you know how I had to go into space to find the Harun-El? My city—Argo, from Krypton—still exists. I’m leaving soon, and I don’t know if or when I’ll be back. I needed to tell you.”

Sam reached out and wrapped Kara in a hug, squeezing tight. Surprised, it took a moment for Kara to do the same, but eventually let her arms settle on Sam’s frame. 

Sam pulled back a small amount to look Kara in the eyes. “I’m so happy that you found them, and I’m beyond grateful that you told me before you take off, but you have to tell Lena.”

Kara frowned, already shaking her head. “No. Her best friend betrays and lies to her for two years? I don’t think so. She can hate Kara and hate Supergirl; I can live with that. I can’t live with her thinking I didn’t care for her at all and everything was simply so I could keep tabs on a Luthor. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Her friend’s expression softened. “But don’t you think she’s deserves the truth?”

“Not this truth.”

—

They talked for a few more minutes; Sam had questions (finding out your friend was a superhero did make people curious) and Kara was willing to answer them, but they couldn’t stay out there too long, or Lena and Ruby might come looking for them.

(“Wait, what do I tell Ruby?”

Kara thought for a minute—she hadn’t considered. “You can tell her when you think she’s ready. I trust your judgement.”)

She had buttoned up her shirt, placed the glasses back on her face, and put her hair back up. “I’m leaving in two days. I’ll be at work tomorrow and then there’s going to be a going away— party? gathering? I’m not really sure what it is— at the DEO the day I’m leaving. You can come if you want.”

“Does CatCo know it’s going to be your last day?” 

“James knows I’m leaving,” Kara responded, avoiding the question.

Sam narrowed her eyes. “That’s not what I asked. More specifically, does Lena know it’s going to be your last day?”

“No,” she sighed. “It’ll probably be better if no one knows I’m leaving because I won’t have an excuse for not having any contact. I can’t tell them the giant rock up in space doesn’t have wifi. I’m sure the DEO will fake the death of Kara Danvers.” Sam’s face was unimpressed. 

“So, what? Everyone that’s not in the loop just thinks that you died?”

A shrug. “I guess? It’s the best option. It’ll look a little suspicious, with Kara Danvers dying at the same time Supergirl disappears, but there isn’t a way around that. Alex suggested saying that I went ‘on assignment’ as a reporter, but Lena owns the company, so that would never work.”

Sam glared at her, arms crossed. “There are people who care about you, you know. People who care about Kara Danvers, not Supergirl. And you’re going to put them through the pain of thinking you died because you’re scared to tell them who you are?”

“Thinking I died won’t be that far from the truth. In a way, Kara Danvers is dying. Even when I come back, I won’t be coming back to the same life. I won’t pick up where I left off.”

Kara had thought a lot about this. The only people she could come back to were the people who knew she was Supergirl. Who knew why she had left and where she had gone. But that’s the thing, wasn’t it? This wasn’t her home, not really, when she had Argo up there. She loved her family on Earth, would die for them, but Argo was where she was born. Where her own people lived. She could never be at home on a planet that continuously made her out to be a threat to society.

Sam gave her a sad smile. “I can’t change your mind, and I won’t try to anymore, but don’t forget what you have here. On Earth. No matter what you had on Krypton, doesn’t this mean something?”

Kara closed her eyes and sighed, getting ready to respond before her super hearing picked something up and she tilted her head. 

“You have to go, don’t you?” 

She bit her lip. “Yes.”

“Then go save the day, Supergirl.” The ‘Supergirl’ tacked on at the end sounded sarcastic, but Kara couldn’t be sure.

“I’ll see you at the DEO the day I leave?”

Sam had turned towards the door, ready to open it, before turning back. “Of course. You’re not getting rid of me yet, Danvers.”

Kara grinned, and, a gust of wind later, Supergirl was taking off through the hall window. Sam headed back into her apartment. “Lena! Kara’s going to be at work tomorrow. You should talk to her then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for simplicity’s sake, we’re just gonna say that when they separated sam and reign, that was the end of it and reign’s gone. i was going to try and follow canon but then i realized i didn’t care!!


End file.
